NSW Government must boost police numbers before it’s too late
IF Sydney’s spree of public daylight executions — like Mick Hawi outside a Rockdale gym or Wally Ahmad at a Bankstown shopping centre — isn’t enough to make the NSW government heed calls for more police to combat growing organised crime what will, argues Crime Editor Mark Morri.
Opinion
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THE writing was on the wall in February. Or should I say the writing was on the front page of The Daily Telegraph.
Under the headline “Cops fury at jailhouse crock” this newspaper revealed how regional cops were being treated like “Uber drivers” for the legal system and wasting entire shifts transporting prisoners across the state.
If that wasn’t enough, The Daily Telegraph also exposed the massive police shortfalls on the ground in another front page story last month.
Our story about crime exploding in Ryde contained a line from Police Association president Scott Weber that surely should’ve put the government on notice.
He argued the force needed at least 500 officers to keep up with the population.
So in many ways the Budget submission from the union won’t be a surprise. But in other ways it may be enough to scare them into action.
After all, they’re not just saying they want 500 extra cops anymore — they’re saying they want 500 every year for the next five years.
The submission is also the first major political shot the union has made in years. And its breadth is remarkable.
It argues that every issue is at risk of turning into an unprecedented crime wave — from bikies to robberies to child sex predators.
Senior police say organised crime is growing at a frightening rate with overseas drug cartels increasingly targeting Sydney.
It’s well-known that many major crime bosses think nothing of paying $500,000 to have an enemy killed.
Yet if the spree of daylight executions in recent years — like Mick Hawi outside a Rockdale gym or Wally Ahmad at a Bankstown shopping centre — isn’t enough to make the government listen, then one wonders if a Budget submission can?
The Police union, unlike many of its counterparts, is not putting in an ambit claim for a unrealistic and greedy payrise, but purely pleading with the government to give them the resources they need to do their job and make the state safer.
“The crime statistics have looked great for many years but its only a matter time before we come crashing back to earth unless we get more numbers, more money and more resources,’’ said a senior NSW police officer.
“Victoria have committed to boosting their numbers in the next few years but it only happened after the Apex gangs ran riot. NSW has to get ahead of the game and not fall in to the trap of waiting for crime to go before doing anything,’’ he said.
“We have to act now, not later.’’
MORE NEWS:
► CHAPTER ONE: Inside the squad that beat Sydney’s gangs
► CHAPTER TWO: The real-life police fight club
► CHAPTER THREE: The day bikies went too far
► CHAPTER FOUR: Bikie gangs: Warlords of the underworld